Got Earplugs?

[SeaDawg]

Katanapilot, how does the Recpro Houghton unit compare in size to the Dometic you have installed now? The 13500 recpro has a larger outdoor footprint than the older Duotherm we have on the roof of our 2008. 

The 9500 btu has a bit smaller footprint, and a much lower profile, which would work great on our roof. 9500 btu is surely more than our Elite I would likely ever require. And priced even better. I like the dehumidifier function, too.

I'm wondering if the drain can be attached to Oliver's internal drain, or if yours will have to drain down the outside?

I've already seen some good reviews on other sites. Looking forward to yours.

 

 

[SeaDawg]

Looks like the Dometic Freshjet may finally be coming to the US market, as well.

https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/news/us/dometic-introduces-next-generation-rv-rooftop-air-conditioner

 

[Overland]

54 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

The 9500 btu has a bit smaller footprint, and a much lower profile, which would work great on our roof. 9500 btu is surely more than our Elite I would likely ever require. And priced even better. I like the dehumidifier function, too.

Since we're never out in super hot weather, I'd think that the 9500 btu would probably work for us, too, even in an Elite II.  Oliver has started selling them with 11,000 btu units anyway, so that's really not that far off.

[SeaDawg]

Paul and I have been looking at drawings and dimensions.  On our small trailer, I  don't think either unit is a good fit, using existing cutouts and wiring,  as we'd of course want to.

Though the 9500 is a small footprint, the majority of the outdoor unit sits forward of the cutout (if I'm reading it correctly.?)

That would put the unit too close to our maxair cover/fantastic fan over the kitchen aisle.

Recpro lists another Houghton, high profile, 13,500 unit, rp-ac3501, no heat pump,  but it sits ridiculously high, at 13.5 inches. It would fit our trailer, but I  would hate the additional height of the unit.  We can barely get ours into the garage, now, with a 10 ft. side door.

I hope recpro will show these at an rv or marine show near us. I'd love to see and hear it in person, and confirm mounting and dimensions.

The problem for us is our (sidemount) solar panels, and the location of the fan. Maybe for you guys, it's better.

Edited January 26, 2021 by SeaDawg

[Overland]

35 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

Though the 9500 is a small footprint, the majority of the outdoor unit sits forward of the cutout (if I'm reading it correctly.?)

I think that image is misleading. Here’s a link to the installation instructions and it looks like the orientation is the same as the Dometic. https://www.mygenerator.com.au/media/Finch_HB3400_Air_Conditioner_Manual.pdf

[SeaDawg]

Thank you for finding that! 

That's awesome,  and opens up possibilities. 

Since dometic is only planning to open retrofit on the freshjet with 13,500 btu, this is a better alternative. 

We don't have to make a change this year, as we never use the ac other than testing, but, we're tiring of taping the cracks in the old shroud of our (ancient) dometic. 

Certainly,  if we swap it out, we want something quiet. And more efficient. 

[katanapilot]

3 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

Katanapilot, how does the Recpro Houghton unit compare in size to the Dometic you have installed now? The 13500 recpro has a larger outdoor footprint than the older Duotherm we have on the roof of our 2008. 

The 9500 btu has a bit smaller footprint, and a much lower profile, which would work great on our roof. 9500 btu is surely more than our Elite I would likely ever require. And priced even better. I like the dehumidifier function, too.

I'm wondering if the drain can be attached to Oliver's internal drain, or if yours will have to drain down the outside?

I've already seen some good reviews on other sites. Looking forward to yours.

 

 

I don't think it's much larger and we should have adequate clearance from the fan.  Of course, the opening is the 14 x 14 RV standard.  I know the Air Command did not use an internal drain, but if there is a way to connect it on the Houghton- I certainly will.

It's great news that there will be some higher quality, quieter options available.  I'm sure Oliver is looking at these, as well - at least I hope they are.

[SeaDawg]

I spoke with a customer service representative yesterday.  She is going to send me a copy of Recpro's installation manual for the 9500, hopefully today. 

Unfortunately,  white shroud is unavailable right now in the smaller size 9500, and they don't do backorders. Black, however, is available. 

 

[SeaDawg]

I got the manual for the 9500 (Houghton 2801) today. Looks like it should work very nicely in our limited rooftop real estate.

I  can't seem to find a way to post the pdf on my phone, but if anyone wants to see the whole Houghton manual, you can send me a pm.

The rep added me to a notification list for new inventory of units with the white shroud.  😃 I  think it will look great on the roof, if they come back in stock before camping season for us!

Thanks again, @Katanapilot. And Overland. 

Sherry

 

[SeaDawg]

@katanapilot, have you installed the Houghton unit yet? 

I'm wondering if you found the noise level to be as specs, and if the drain location works with the existing drain tube installed by Oliver.

[SeaDawg]

By the way, as promised, I  got an email when the white quiet unit came back into stock. 

Ours should be on a truck this afternoon. 🙂

[katanapilot]

Not yet. Removed the Dometic “turbojet” Penguin II yesterday, though.

Need to get a foam gasket kit for the new install first. I do have the Houghton unit here ready to go. Very nicely made. 

One minor challenge will be the furnace control. The Dometic CT thermostat is a communicating style that “talks” to a relay box that was installed in the 14 x 14 opening. The simplest solution will be to leave it in place and use the CT tsat to control only the furnace. The Houghton has a touchpad on the ceiling diffuser plus a remote control.

I will provide sound level data once the new unit is up and running.

Unfortunately the Houghton does not have a condensate drain catch like the Dometic, so it will drain onto the roof. If Oliver ever decided to use the Houghton- it wouldn’t be that difficult for them to design and install a gel coated fiberglass drain catch. 

Edited February 16, 2021 by katanapilot
Added text

[SeaDawg]

Thanks for the insights.

We don't have an ac thermostat in our 2008, just switches on the face of the dometic indoor unit, so the remote will be a nice upgrade.

I studied the drawings again today, trying to look ahead, but didn't see anything that would work with the condensate drain. 

Do you plan to fabricate your own gasket? Shipping estimates early next week for our Houghton to arrive. I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like,xin real life.

[katanapilot]

OMG. The Houghton is quiet.  Really quiet.

Just got it installed and hooked up.  I'll post more info later but a very quick measurement with the unit running in heat or cool with high fan was about 64-65 dBA. The Dometic was about 78 dBA on my unit, so this very rough, unscientific measurement indicates the Houghton is less than half as noisy as the Dometic.

The heat pump feature is a nice addition.

OTT are you listening?  Probably can't hear me over the sound of your noisy Dometic A/C 🤣

[katanapilot]

On 2/15/2021 at 8:51 PM, SeaDawg said:

Thanks for the insights.

We don't have an ac thermostat in our 2008, just switches on the face of the dometic indoor unit, so the remote will be a nice upgrade.

I studied the drawings again today, trying to look ahead, but didn't see anything that would work with the condensate drain. 

Do you plan to fabricate your own gasket? Shipping estimates early next week for our Houghton to arrive. I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like,xin real life.

I bought a Valterra gasket kit - which if had bothered to RTFM (read the manual completely) - I would have known that the Houghton came with a hard plastic insert that is installed with RTV on the outside of the trailer. It seals the 14 x 14 opening and centers the outdoor unit in the hole.  Pretty clever and very easy. So I didn't need the gasket kit, only a tube of RTV which I already had.

The instruction manual is not the clearest I have seen and the hardest part of the install is getting the old unit down from the roof and the new unit onto the roof. 

[SeaDawg]

Congratulations! @katanapilot

Our unit was in Jacksonville,  yesterday.  I'm figuring tomorrow or Tuesday for delivery.  One of our younger and stronger friends volunteered for this coming or next weekend install. (Getting 90 pounds off the roof can be tough.) Weather permitting. I'm looking forward to seeing the unit, in real life.

I bought a leisure coach closed cell foam gasket. It's returnable. We'll see if we want to use it or not. It's a really nice, one piece seal,  (no joints or seams) if anyone needs to replace an old gasket. Roughly $20.

I'm really excited for you on the noise reduction. That's amazing. I'm also interested in the heat pump, and especially the separate dehumidifier setting. 

Again, congratulations. 

Ps, recpro has a 10 unit limit on orders. Guessing they don't want corporate bulk buys, yet. 

Edited February 21, 2021 by SeaDawg

[katanapilot]

1 hour ago, SeaDawg said:

Congratulations! @katanapilot

Our unit was in Jacksonville,  yesterday.  I'm figuring tomorrow or Tuesday for delivery.  One of our younger and stronger friends volunteered for this coming or next weekend install. (Getting 90 pounds off the roof can be tough.) Weather permitting. I'm looking forward to seeing the unit, in real life.

I bought a leisure coach closed cell foam gasket. It's returnable. We'll see if we want to use it or not. It's a really nice, one piece seal,  (no joints or seams) if anyone needs to replace an old gasket. Roughly $20.

I'm really excited for you on the noise reduction. That's amazing. I'm also interested in the heat pump, and especially the separate dehumidifier setting. 

Again, congratulations. 

Ps, recpro has a 10 unit limit on orders. Guessing they don't want corporate bulk buys, yet. 

Thanks much.

The install is straightforward. I still have a few incomplete items like the Dometic tstat hookup and two small holes in the ceiling from the original cover - but I will install screws with white caps to fill. 
 

I will provide a more detailed write up when I get it all done. 

[BackofBeyond]

"Dometic conducted extensive user research and pain point analysis to develop the Dometic FreshJet FJX3000 series RV rooftop air conditioners"

All Dometic  really needed to do was ask customers - we already completed the "Pain Point analysis!!"

Really glad to see the new units hit our markets. Looking forward to the reviews and install updates.

RB

[Overland]

If Dometic's threshold for consumer satisfaction is "Does our product cause you physical pain?", then that would explain a lot.

[SeaDawg]

Our Houghton 2801 (9500) arrived today, via FedEx freight. As AC units go, it's quite sleek. And, at the same time, seems to be pretty stoutly built.. Between removing the old Kingdome, and replacing the taller Dometic AC, we should pick up a few inches of height clearance. 

Our 9500 is cool only, (no heat) unlike Katanapilot's bigger 13500 unit. We were ok with that, as we needed the rooftop real estate for the bigger solar panels we added earlier, and room to adjust them. 

Everything is a tradeoff in replacing equipment.  

I doubt this will move off the bench this week. We have sailing plans this weekend. We'll see. 

 

[Overland]

It's nice looking.  It looks matte.  Can you tell if the finish is in the plastic or if it's paint?  

[SeaDawg]

I think it's in the plastic, but not sure. Houghton has always touted "high quality" plastic and uv resistance. Important to us in Florida, but even more so in Australia. 

We took it out of the box to check it out. 

Our old Dometic shroud is much thinner. And, the shroud is cracked in so many places that it's probably 20 per cent Eternabond tape, now. (Before anyone gets riled up, our unit is 13 years old, sits outside 24/7/365 , still works, and I could have bought a new shroud.) 

We really wanted the new unit for space considerations for the sidemount solar adjustment, increased efficiency,  and the quiet. 

 

[katanapilot]

Best of luck with the installation. I think you will be very pleased at the quietness of the Houghton. 

[Ray and Susan Huff]

On 1/25/2021 at 5:02 PM, katanapilot said:

Just ordered the RecPro (Houghton) 13.5k low profile heat pump ductless unit to replace the turbojet engine sounding Dometic Penguin.  Unfortunately, the Atwood Air Command units are in very limited supply and most models are ducted.  Fortunately, RecPro is now importing U.S. spec (120 volt) Houghton RV air conditioners into the U.S. Houghton is (was) Australian, as was Atwood before being bought by Dometic a few years ago. 

Specs show 56 dB on high and 47 dB on low.  If this pans out, it's a huge improvement over the Dometic. Plus it is a heat pump, so we can avoid using the furnace under most conditions that we would ever be camping in.

I will post results once installed.  I'm not a big blogger, so don't expect a JD level of detail on the installation.  I'm building another airplane and have had my fill of documentation requirements from the FAA.

Quieter, yet more BTUs?  That's a plus.

[Wendell Douglas]

On 10/2/2020 at 9:54 AM, Overland said:

The best solution that I've found is a set of comfortable noise cancelling headphones.  Mine are comfortable enough to sleep with and they eliminate the AC noise almost entirely.  The batteries will easily last the night.

Curious, what is your hat size, and what brand model NC headphones are you using? (I'm a size 8 head and not many headphones are comfortable...)